March is Brain Injury Awareness month, which highlights the fact that every year 3.8 million people suffer a sports or recreation related concussions, with 135,000 children aged 5 to 18 ending up in emergency departments.
Coaches of every school athletic team and every extracurricular athletic activity should be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of brain injury, says the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA).
“A concussion is a brain injury, period” says the BIAA, which also believes young athletes who have suffered a concussion should have to get written authorization by a healthcare professional before returning to play.
Signs of a concussion after a blow to the head will include nausea, dizziness (or balance problems), double or fuzzy vision, headache, feeling sluggish or tired, and trouble concentrating or remembering things.
You should never ignore a bump to the head, says the BIAA. Young athletes should tell the coach, ask to be taken out of the game, talk to their parents about the symptoms and of course see a health care professional.
For more information on Brian Injury Awareness Month, please visit www.biausa.org
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